Conference League Roundup: Conte Gets First Win As Spurs Manager
Tottenham beat Dutch side Vitesse 3-2 in a thrilling Europa Conference League tie which included three red cards and two pitch invaders. For his first game in charge, Antonio Conte definitely has a lot to ponder on after Tottenham’s aura of calm crumbled shortly after the half an hour mark. Vitesse produced a stellar display to claw back two goals against their Premier League opponents, and despite their best efforts, they were unable to break through Spurs’ resilient defense. This is the second time the two have played each other in the tournament, Vitesse winning the previous tie 1-0.
In a dramatic 3-2 victory against Dutch side Vitesse, Antonio Conte earned his first win as Tottenham manager. A crazy game featuring three red cards and two stoppages due to pitch invaders made the Italian’s first day at the office all the more fascinating. Spurs fans will be wondering how successful they can be under serial winner Conte. ©planet_fox/Pixabay
Previously of Chelsea and Inter Milan, Antonio Conte shocked the footballing world when he announced he signed for Tottenham as head coach. Spurs have struggled recently in domestic and European competitions; Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked 17 games in after a string of poor results, losing six matches by three or more goals. The club’s speculation brought up many names, but Conte seemed the most likely candidate from the start. Spurs fans will be delighted that Daniel Levy has finally brought in a world-class coach.
In his first match as manager, Spurs faced Vitesse, and after 30 minutes and three goals, Conte was already proving to everyone his quality off the pitch and the players on the pitch. However, as every Spurs fan knows, it’s never over till it’s over, Vitesse grabbed two goals in five minutes to pile on the pressure. The second goal in particular scored by Bero was an excellent example of composure in the 18-yard box, coolly slotting a grounded strike in the far corner.
Things seemed to get worse for Tottenham as in the 59th minute, their £45 million center back Christian Romero was sent off for a second yellow card after bringing down the Vitesse left-winger. While the Dutch side managed to cause some discomfort, the nerves were settled shortly after due to some stellar defending from the Spurs players. Vitesse’s chance of winning the game was altogether eliminated when the center back Doekhi was also sent for a second bookable offense. Things would only get worse for them shortly after.
In one of the most bizarre moments of the match, the Vitesse keeper from the Netherlands, Schubert, rushed from his box to block an Emerson Royal shot almost 35 yards out. As he did so, he raised his arms, and the ball caught his palm before deflecting behind; as he was not on his box, he received an instant red card for handball. Down to 9 men, the side from Holland had little to no chance of regaining a foothold into the game. The manager from Italy expertly shifted his defense to press higher up the pitch and nullify all future attacks from the Vitesse strikers.
The Europa Conference League Group Stages
Elsewhere in the Conference League, Jose Mourinho struggles to adjust to life in Roma after drawing 2-2 against Bodø/Glimt, ex-Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho was frustrated with the referee’s decision not to award them two penalties. After careful review, both are fairly clear errors from the Norwegian side and should’ve warranted Roma two spot-kicks. They also struggled to deal with Bodø/Glimt’s defensive style of play and couldn’t break them down for large portions of the game.
The side previously decimated Roma 6-1 in one of the clubs most embarrassing defeats in their history. Mourinho is under pressure from the board and the fans to deliver and has struggled to do so up to this point. Roma is currently in 4th place in Serie A, 11 points behind front runners AC Milan and Napoli and will most likely be fighting for a Champions League spot right up to the end of the season. They may win the Conference League and, alongside Tottenham, they are the favorites to do so.
Tottenham will face NS Mura away from home in the next round of Conference League games, while Roma will play Zorya Luhansk. Some other worthwhile mentions include Feyenoord, who will play Slavia Prague from the Czech Republic. Both sides previously competed in both the Europa League and Champions League, so the end results are hard to predict. FC Copenhagen makes their return to European football this year; currently top of Group F, they will hope to build on their previous win and qualify by beating winless Lincoln Red Imps.
